This handy reference provides full access to the 1,200 years of Roman rule from the 8th century B.C. to the 5th century A.D., including information that is hard to find and even harder to decipher. Clear, authoritative, and highly organized, the Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome features: nine thematically arranged chapters with over 100 sub-topics in all; an extensive bibliography included with each chapter; more than 125 site-specific photographs and line drawings; maps charting the expansion and contraction of Rome's territory. The myriad topics covered include rulers, the legal and governmental system, architectural feats such as the famous Roman roads and aqueducts, the many Roman religions and festivals, the Roman system of personal names, contemporary poets and historians, even typical Roman leisure pursuits. Combining both archaeological and historical evidence, the Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome provides a unique look at a civilization whose art, literature, law, and engineering influenced the whole of Western Europe throughout the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and beyond. - Back cover.